Vokkaliga bastion seems to have shed JD(S) stronghold

The general sentiment of voters favouring the Congress across Karnataka was reflected in the Mysuru region too, with the party making a turnaround in the Assembly elections held on May 10. With this, the Mysuru region, earlier deemed to be a Vokkaliga bastion, is no longer simply seen as 'a JD(S) stronghold’.

The Congress won 19 of the 31 constituencies in Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu districts. While the JD(S) won in eight constituencies, the BJP managed to win three and the Sarvodaya Karnataka Party (SKP) won one. The SKP is also supported by the Congress.

In the 2018 polls, the JD(S) had won 18 seats, while the Congress managed to win five, the BJP seven and the BSP one.

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Siddaramaiah’s victory in Varuna proved significant for the Congress, as his presence in the region seems to have helped other candidates of the party. Hopes that Siddaramaiah, who has presented 13 state budgets, would get another opportunity to become chief minister, might have helped the Congress.

A section of Vokkaligas may have voted for the Congress with the hope that KPCC president D K Shivakumar, a leader of their community, would become chief minister. This factor might have weaned support for the JD(S).

The message of the voters to the nation is loud and clear, says retired political science professor, J Somashekar. “Besides proving that they are mature voters, they have voted for good governance.”

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He points out that people were not happy with the charges of corruption against Basavaraj Bommai's government. “Voters were against the autocratic ways of those in power. The benefits and schemes did not reach the people. So, they have voted for a stable and strong government,” he adds.

Major changes

While Hassan and Mandya districts were once deemed to be the stronghold of the JD(S), both Congress and the BJP have made inroads here.

In Hassan district, the BJP won Belur and regained Sakleshpur, which B B Shivappa had won long back in 1994.

In Mandya, the results are somewhat similar to the 1999 election, when then-KPCC president S M Krishna was projected as the chief ministerial candidate. Then, only N Chaluvaraya Swamy of the JD(S) had won in Nagamangala. Now, only H T Manju of the JD(S) has won in KR Pet.

Sitting BJP MLAs of Kollegal and Gundlupet have been defeated by Congress candidates A R Krishnamurthy and H M Ganesh Prasad. Prasad is the son of former ministers H S Mahadev Prasad and M C Mohanakumari.

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In Mysuru district, where the BJP had three MLAs, the party could retain only the Krishnaraja constituency, despite issuing a ticket to a new candidate T S Srivathsa, in place of senior leader S A Ramadass. The Congress has doubled from four to eight constituencies, while the JD(S) has dwindled from four to two.

Comeback after years

In Kodagu district, the Congress has made a comeback after 19 years. The last Congress MLAs in Madikeri and Virajpet, elected in 1999, were M M Nanaiah and Suma Vasanth respectively.

The Congress did not field its candidate in Melkote (Pandavapura) constituency of the Mandya district, to extend support to Darshan Puttannaiah of the SKP, as it did in the 2018 election. His father, then SKP MLA K S Puttannaiah, died on February 18, 2018.

Similarly, the JD(S) did not field its candidate in Nanjangud to support Darshan Dhruvanarayan of the Congress, as he lost his father R Dhruvanarayana, working president of KPCC and ex-MP, on March 11, and his mother Veena on April 7.

In fact, former minister H C Mahadevappa, who has now won the T Narsipur seat, gave up his claim for the Congress ticket of Nanjangud following the tragedy. Both Mahadevappa and Dhruvanarayan were aspirants of the Nanjangud segment ticket.